Automatic stop and speed control for railway-trains and the like.



v A. FREES & A. cox. I AUTOMATIC STOP AND SPEED CONTROL FOR RAILWAY TRAINS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.24, I9I5- I 1,171,1 12, Patented Feb. 8', 1916.

2 S HEETS-SHEET l.

I 5 wuewliom' WQQW THE COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. C.

-,1,171,1 12. Patente d Feb. 8,1916.

A. FREES & A 'cox. v AUTOMATIC STOP AND SPEED CONTROL FOR RAILWAY TRAINS AND THE LIKE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

%1a flmmtowm p V I THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, D. c

. nnonrn FREES, oE riio aiiwoo n, AND'AE'EREE cox, 0E naw'ri oiinn, ivEWYoRjK.

AUroiviATIcs'roi? AND SPEED conrnonron RAILWAY-TRAINS AND THE LIKE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we,-ADoLPH FREEs and ALFRED Cox, both citizens of the United States of America, and residents, respectively, of Thornwood, Westchester county,

New York, and HawthorneyWestchester county, New York, have invented certain is a full, clear, and exact specification. J

Our invention relates to automaticfstops and speed control for railway trains and the like and one'object of theinvention is to provide a device which will be operated when the track signal stands at .danger and the speed of the trainis greater than a j predetermined speed. .When:the train is moving at a rate in excess of saysix milesan hour it may beconsidered to be out of control and if our device is set to, operate when the rate of speed exceedssiich predetermined rate of speed, then, if the track signal is set at danger the air brakes will be operated; I V k loosely linked to arm 32 loosely connected to and the train stopped;

Another object is to provide a device which will be set to operate when a crossv a means which will stop the-trainautomatiover switch is opened and the train is moving at a rate of speed exceeding such pre determined rate of speed. We thus provide cally under the given conditions but will not so operate when the speed is such that the train is safely under control.

ings, a form of device, with modifications,

hereinafter in the claims.

Figure l of the drawings is a perspective view of an arrangement of means for carrying out our invention, parts beingbroken, away; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a' nodification; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofthe'track portion'of the in.-

vention shown in connection with a crossover switch.

In the drawings 1 and 2 indicate the beams of a railway truck, carried by the axle?) of the'car in any' convenient manner (not shown).

lis one of the wheels.

1 and V 2.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rying acontact plate 26.

In the following we. have described, in. connection with the accompanying draw-.

atank, for light oil'or other suitable preferably non-freezing fluid, supported by strap 5.] The pump is shown as adapted to be actuated by plunger rod 8 carrying collar 9, driven by a cam 10 on axle 3.

11 is-a-cylinder provided with a weighted piston 12, carryingpiston rod 13 connected at its upper end (Fig. 1) to abell-crank Patented Feb. ,1915. Application filed March 24, 1915. Serial No. 16,568.. I

6 and Tindicate respectively a pump and I lever 14 pivoted'at 15 tovbeam 1; r The bellv crankleverlt at its free end is adapted to engage a transverserod-16 adapted to slide across beam 1 under-straps 17,17. Finger 18, at the outer .endof rod 16, is adapted to engage the innerend ofa sliding plate 19,

slotted at 20 to receive the valve stem21 of air brake-valve 22on air train-pipe 23.]

24 indicates a contact plate on the outer end of sliding plate 19.

g The track signalcomprises I Arm 25 is rotatably mounted on a rod27 in bearings in cover an arm 25 car 28of housing 29 and in floor of the hous ing and is rigidly secured to arm 31, in turn one end-of bell-crank lever 33 pivoted to 3 arm 34: carriedbythe housing or other con- "venient support. .Theiother end of bellcrankilever 33 carries a weight 35 and; is

adapted to be raised by sprocket chain;36

actuated by the arinature'ofmotor 37 in the is onand the weight the armature ceasesirotation. v

38 is a; pipe carrying t'rack'relay wires 39.

The "1 111 linesin Fig. 1 show the track signal with current off and signal at danger, the dotted lines showing the current on and the signal clear. j

s 40 indicates the exit pipe from pump 6 to cylinder 11, V41 thereturn pipe from cylinderll to tank and 42 the pipe" from tank 7 to pump V 1 13 indicates a by-pass connection from cylinder 11 toreturnfpipeLl and 4: 1 a valve for controlling the passage of fluid through The operation of the device .illustratedin Fig 1 is as follows: The moving of thev train through therotation of axle 3 actuates pump 6 to draw *fiuid from tank 7 and to for cie it through" pipe j40 into cylinder 11. Weightedpiston '12. is of such dimension andweightjfthat the pressure caused by the fluid, "when pump -6jis actuated at slow speed, say six miles an hour, is not sufficient to cause the same to be raised, the fiuld returning to tank? through pipe 41. When the speed exceeds the predetermined speed, the pressure of the fluid raises piston 12 and operates bell-crank lever 14 to throw con tact plate 24 out into the path of contact plate 26 of the track signal. When in this position the pressure in cylinder 11 is such as to open valve 44 in by-pass pipe 43, or otherwise permit fluid to escape through pipe 43 and permit the pressure to be relieved While maintaining piston 12 at its upper position. The by-pass pipe 43 is thus a pressure relieving pipe and is designed to relieve the excess pressure which would otherwise occur, if the piston had been forced its full limit and the speed of the train and consequently the pressure still further increased. As the train slows down to the predetermined speed or less, the piston 12' falls and withdraws contact plate 24 from the path of contact plate 26. It now when contact plate 24 is thrown out into the path of contact plate 26, the track signal being set at danger, as indicated by fulllines, plate 26 will strike plate 24 and swing the same and air valve 22 to. operate the valve and stop the train. The-plate 24and hand before the train can proceed.

track signal stands at clear, as shown by the air valve will then have to be reset by If the V dotted lines, the plates 24 and 26 will not contact and the air valve will consequently not be operated. v

In Fig. 2, a modification is shown in iwhich the sliding plate 45 (corresponding ing actuated, by contact plate 26 to operate the air valve and stop the train.

In Fig. 3 the track signal is shown as be-' ing manually operated by the same movement which opens the cross-over switch 47. In Fig. 3, 48 indicates the switch, controlling rod, 49 a bell-crank lever, pivoted at 50 to any convenient support, one arm of lever 49 being pinned to rod 48 and the other to rod 51. The other end of rod 51 is loosely connected to arm 31, rigidly carried by rod 27, suitably journaledin housing 52 and carrying arm 25 provided with aicontact plate 26, as hereinbefore described. In this form the act of opening the switch will set the contact plate at danger so that a train provided with our system will be brought to a stop if attempt is made to pass the switch at a speed higher than the predetermined rate of speed. As this is a frequent cause parting from the spirit of our invention, the

sliding plate 19 or 45 being operable horizontally, vertically, or in other convenient -manner, the track signal belng set either electrically or manually or by other convenient method and the particular form of the various parts being unessential, and we do not restrict ourselves to any of the means shown and described furtherthan the scope 'of the appended claims demands.

W e claim:

1. In an automatic stop and speed control for railway trains and the like, means for actuating the air brake valvecompris ing a slotted plate adapted to reciprocate 7 across the valve stem without actuating the valve, a contact device carried by said plate, a rod adapted to engage said plate, a closed circuit liquid operated means adapted to actuate said rod and controlledin the GX- tent of its action by the speed of the train, a second contact device mounted adjacent the track and in the line of travel of said first contact device and means for moving said second contact device into and out of the path'ofsaid first contact device, the valve being operated by the angular dis placement of the slotted'plate relative to the valve.

2. In an automatic stop and speed control for railway trains and the like, means for actuating the air brake valve comprisinga slotted plate adapted to reciprocate across the valve stem without actuating the valve, a contact device carried by said plate, a rod adapted to engage said plate, a lever adapted to actuate said rod, a plunger on one arm of said lever, liquid ina closed circuit controlling the action of said plunger, means controlled by the speed'of the train for varying the pressure of said liquid, a second contact device mounted adjacent the track and in the line of travel of said first contact deviceland means for moving said second contactdevice into and out of the path of said first contact device, the valve V the valve stem, a closed circuit liquid presbrake valve, a contact device mounted on the valve stem, a closed circuit liquid pressure controlled means for sliding the contact device relative to the valve stem without actuating the valve, means for-varying the liquid pressure controlled by the speed of the train, a second contact device mounted adjacent the track and in the line of travel of said first contact device and a switch controlling the movement vof said second contact device into and out of said line of travel of said first contact device, the valve being operated by the angular displacement of the first contact device relative to the valve.

' valve.

5. In an automatic stop and speed control for railway-trains and the like, means for actuating the air brake valve comprising an arm provided with a slot for receiv- 'ing the valve stem of the valve, a contact plate carried by said arm, a rod for reciprocating said arm across said valve stem, means for actuating said rod comprising a cylinder, at fluid-operated Weighted piston therein, a connection between said piston and rod, a fluid tank in open connection with the cylinder, a pump in connection with the tank for forcing fluid into thecylinder, means for driving the pump from one of the axles of the car and means permitting the slotted .arm to be moved angularly relative to the valve when the arm is, in extended position, to actuate said In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- ADOLPH rnnn's. V ALFRED COX.' Witnesses: V I

FRANK A. sco'r'r, ADDIE C. TAYLOR.

- Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the :Commissioner otiate'nts,

Washington, I). G. 7 

